This study examines the coupling coordination relationship between rural digitization and rural tourism across 253 Chinese counties from 2012 to 2023, revealing systematic evolution from mild disorder to intermediate coordination. The investigation employs coupling coordination degree modeling, spatial auto-correlation analysis, and geographical detector methodology to quantify interactive dynamics and identify driving mechanisms. Results demonstrate that mean coupling coordination degrees advanced from 0.347 to 0.724, across four distinct phases: foundation, acceleration, resilience testing, and consolidation-expansion. Spatial analysis reveals significant clustering patterns with global Moran’s I increasing from 0.312 to 0.423, indicating strengthening spatial dependencies. High-coordination clusters concentrate in eastern coastal corridors while low-coordination areas persist in western regions. Geographical detector analysis identifies urban proximity as the dominant explanatory factor, followed by transportation accessibility and topographical features. Interactive effects analysis demonstrates that coordination development requires simultaneous presence of multiple enabling conditions, with urban proximity and transportation accessibility showing particularly strong synergistic effects. These findings provide empirical evidence for integrated rural development strategies emphasizing infrastructure investment, institutional capacity building, and strategic urban-rural linkages.
